To the Ends of Space
by CheesyOne
Summary: An army, amassed from darkness, has started to lay siege to the universe, claiming one planet after another. Fighters from different worlds band together, and friends are forced against each other. The Subspace War has begun.
1. Prolouge

** I don't own Super Smash Bros, nor its characters. All belong to their respective owners.**

Murky clouds of purple and black billowed around a cloaked figure as he advanced through the void of space. It was an unnatural place. Blackness as far as he could see, and dark purple lightning clouds swirled, admitting small sparks of electricity.

He detected no ground below him, yet he was able to advance just fine. It was as if he were walking on glass, for he could see what was directly below him. Purple clouds formed a funnel like shape that led into a downwards spiral towards pitch blackness. If whatever surface he was traveling had any gaps or abrupt stops, he wasn't able to tell. He'd just fall into eternity.

He didn't dwell on the thought for long. There was no use thinking about such things. He had only one task to focus on. Nothing else mattered.

Lightning began to crackle increasingly overhead. Bolts of electricity began to erupt from the clouds. Oddly enough, they would pass right through the 'ground' and continue onwards into the abyss. Some bolts stuck dangerously close to him, yet he gave no reaction.

The Destroyer must be aware of his intrusion, and the lightning bolts must be his warning. Still, as close as they got at times, the bolts never struck him. As the first being to step into Subspace in history, the Destroyer surely must have taken an interest in him. This is exactly what he wanted.

The shrouded one continued to travel through the space without fear. The electricity would not strike him, nor did he worry about being attacked some twisted creature borne from this land of darkness. Only one being lived here. And he would have his chance to speak with him. He had no other options. The others had agreed with him. This must be done.

He came to a halt. The air had suddenly become charged with a extreme sense of malice and anger. Though he could not see him, he knew the Destroyer was near. The electricity became even more violent, the temperature grew increasingly cold, and a strong wind began to blow, erratically changing directions every few seconds.

The figure payed it no mind to the sudden change. Somehow his cloak stayed firmly affixed to his body, the wind not managing to ruffle it in the slightest. The elements eventually died down, as if they had realized that the newcomer could not be phased.

All was quiet for a moment. Then, slowly, something began to approach him from the darkness. Its features could not be seen, as it was covered by a cloak of shadow. It didn't matter. He already knew what this being looked like. This was who he was looking for.

"Why have you come here?" it asked. Its voice was rough and coarse, as if it hadn't spoken for a long time.

The question was repeated by a multitude of different voices. The voices grew in intensity, some screaming, others frantically whispering the phrase. Still, the shrouded one did not react.

When the echoes died down, the figure finally spoke, his voice monotone, "I have a proposition for you,"

* * *

** And so it begins...**


	2. Attack!

It was a normal day for the Mushroom Kingdom. The sun was shining, the sky was cloudless, and the princess had been kidnapped. Nothing out of the ordinary really. Mario, the kingdom's overall clad hero, was dashing toward a place known as the Dark Lands. The Dark Lands, infamous throughout the Mushroom Kingdom, was known for housing numerous volcanoes, pools of lava, and of course, Bowser, king of koopas and Peach's relentless kidnapper.

As he entered the Dark Lands, the sky became blotted out by the steady stream of smoke and ashes spewing from always active volcanoes. Despite that, the area was well lit thanks to the light radiating from the volcanoes and the ever present lava pits. The ground was cracked and dry, the extreme heat and lack of sunlight preventing much vegetation from growing. A thick layer of ash gradually began to cover the ground as he approached the heart the Dark Lands. Various skulls and bones were visible, half buried in the ashy carpet. He paid no mind to the somber landscape. The terrain was familiar to him, after all, as Bowser had a tendency to kidnap Peach every other week or so.

He crossed a raggedy bridge made of bones that hung dangerously low over a pit of lava. The bridge, if it could even be called that, was frail and bones began to break off as Mario trekked across it, but it held, albeit barely. As he steeped off the bridge and on to solid land, the entire thing gave a shudder and collapsed into the lava.

Mario sat down to take a quick rest, seemingly unperturbed at his brush with death. He took this time to take off his hat and wipe the sweat off of his brow. The heat was intense, and despite the many times he had traversed this land, it still took a lot out of him. He figured he'd at least be used to it by now.

Putting his hat back on, he stood up and turned around. Before him lay a large lake of lava. A thin, winding path made of rock led to raised platform above the lake. A structure made of stone could be seen resting upon it. Bowser's castle was just ahead.

* * *

A koopa hung idly within the main hall of Bowser's castle. He yawned, completely bored. How he hated guard duty. It was hot, there was nothing to do, and to make matters worse, it would be another 30 minutes before his shift was up.

He decided to look around to try and alleviate his boredom. Not that there was much to see. A long red carpet lay across the long hall, traveled up some steps, and ended at a pair of large, black iron doors. It was the only decoration in the room, if you ignored the dozen or so statues of Bowser on either side of the carpet. He's seen enough of them in his lifetime that they just sort of... blend in with the environment now.

_His Kingliness was never one for interior decorating._ The koopa thought to himself.

"Jeff! Jeff, is that you?" a goomba said walking up to him. "I didn't know you were here."

"Tony? Good to see ya," Jeff replied. "What have you been up to?"

" I just got done with my shift outside," Tony shook his head in displeasure. "It's terrible out there. Goombas aren't built for this kind of climate. Lord Bowser always has to pick the most desolate places to build a castle, doesn't he?"

Their conversation was cut short due to shouting coming from the main lobby.

"He's here! Everyone get into position!"

"It's Mario! Oh man, it's Mario guys!"

"Please don't stomp me!"

"Who left the door open?!"

Jeff quickly turned to his friend, "You closed the door when you came in, right?!"

"No! You know I don't have any hands, Jeff!" he exclaimed.

Before he could scold his friend any further, Jeff felt something crash painfully into side, launching him into one of Bowser's statues. He didn't see what hit him, but he had a feeling it was a koopa shell. He heard footsteps rush by. Most likely Mario...

Tony rushed to his friend. "Are you all right, Jeff?"

Jeff ignored the goomba as he painfully got to his feet. "This is why I hate guard duty..."

* * *

Mario pushed open the heavy iron doors and stepped into the throne room. Large red tapestries hung from the ceiling, each bearing a black outline of Bowser's face. Torches hung over open, arched windows giving the room plenty of light. And there, sitting on a throne in the middle of the room, was the King of Koopas himself.

He sat with one leg crossed over the other with his head resting on his fist. He wore a smug smile on his face. "Well... Look what the plumber dragged in!" he said, his voice a deep grumble. "Took you long enough to get here. Is the great hero of the Mushroom Kingdom getting slow in his old age?"

Mario took a few steps forward, glaring at him. He wasn't in the mood for Bowser's taunts. He wanted to find Peach and take her back home.

"What? Looking for your precious Princess? Don't worry about her. I've got her locked up, safe and sound!" Bowser stood from his throne and stomped towards the plumber, each step shaking the entire castle. "If I were you, which I'm glad I'm not, I'd be more worried about myself. I 'm feelin' good about today, so I hope you brought your fighting gloves with! Cause you know what? Today's the day I finally-GRRAH!," Mario abruptly ended Bowser's speech with a stomp to the head.

The dragon turtle hybrid lumbered back a bit, clutching at the new bump on his head. "Very sneaky plumber," he snarled. "If you wanna play dirty, then let's play dirty," Bowser inhaled deeply. Tendrils of smoke began to slip out of his mouth.

Mario, knowing what was coming, put some distance between him and the koopa king. As he did, Bowser began to out spit balls of fire. Years of experience has caused Mario to become a pro at dodging projectiles, be they shells, hammers, or flaming fireballs. He sidestepped one with ease, ducked and rolled under another, and made a grand leap over one final fireball before his shoes became reacquainted with Bowser's face. He stylishly landed some distance behind the king.

Bowser snarled in annoyance as he turned to face the plumber. His sharpened teeth were clenched together, his eyebrows furrowed in anger. "All right Mario," he said, his voice very calm despite his obvious anger. "Enough playing around. It's time I get serious," he stomped his foot onto the ground. On the ceiling directly above Bowser's head, an iron grating Mario hadn't noticed before opened up, and out of it fell a pitch black orb attached to a chain. Mario paled. That could only mean one thing... _Chain Chomp. _An enemy he always hated fighting.

Once it landed, it began to bounce around, allowing Mario to its features clearly. Sure enough it had small, round eyes, a row of large, razor sharp teeth, and a chain attached to its end which acted like a leash. When the chomp noticed him, it began bouncing even more fervently and started barking, much like an excited dog.

"Let me introduce you to my dear pet Chompy," Bowser said as he grabbed the chomp's leash. "Chompy, this is Sewer 'Stache," he began to twirl Chompy over his head like a ball and chain. "Play nice you two!" he yelled as he threw the chomp.

Mario quickly bent backwards to avoid the oncoming ball of pain. He felt the wind rush by and heard Chompy's teeth close in on the air were his head was seconds before. As he tried to regain his balance, he heard Bowser stomping over to him with alarming speed. Before he could dodge, the koopa king pulled his fist back and delivered a savage blow straight into Mario's stomach. The blow sent the plumber reeling a good ten feet away into a wall. Mario hung there for a moment before he fell face first to the floor, completely unconscious.

Bowser stood frozen with his arm still outstretched. "That... worked?" he quickly recovered and stood up straighter. " Bwahaha! I mean of course that worked! My plans are top notch, 100%, perfect! I had this planned to the very detail!" He raised his fist into the air, "You watching this minions? Mario just got his hat handed to him by... who? The King of Koopas, that's who!" he continued to laugh, basking in his victory.

Chompy bounced over to him, yapping for a treat. A few minions who had been watching through the windows applauded. Some even cheered. This was a rare moment after all.

After a moment Bowser's laughter subsided, as well as the minion's applause. Even Chompy fell silent.A cloud of awkwardness hung over the room. Bowser scratched his head bashfully, unsure of what to do next. He hadn't planned this far ahead. He had honestly expected to lose.

As he was thinking, an old Magikoopa clothed in blue robes approached him. "What shall we do now, Your Tenaciousness?" Kamek asked.

"Can't you see that's what I'm trying to figure out?" he snapped at him before turning back to his thoughts. He didn't really want to do away with the plumber. Their years of endless fighting have caused them to form a twisted type of camaraderie. At the same time, he couldn't let him go. He'd just go back to foiling his plans again. He supposed he could always throw him in the dungeon. Then Peach would be all his...

"Gwahaha! I got it! You two!" he pointed to some koopas who had climbed inside. "I want you to..." but he never finished his sentence, as Tony ran in screaming.

" Ahhh! Lord Bowser! Big trouble! No, HUGE trouble!" he took a moment to catch his breath. "We're under attack! There's a whole army of them!" The throne room exploded into an uproar.

"I knew this was too good to be true!"

"Who would attack us? Besides Mario anyway?"

"Please..Please don't stomp me!"

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" Bowser roared. The throne room instantly quieted down. "Now I don't know who'd be stupid enough to attack me, but whoever it they are, I'm going to make sure they get a proper welcoming..." he pounded his fist into his palm, "Bowser Style!"

Not a moment after he said this, the door in the main lobby could be heard crashing down. Odd looking, green and black creatures could be seen trying to climb through the windows. Bowser growled out some orders, "Half of you stay here! Don't let any of them in, and especially don't let them upstairs!" he turned to Kamek, "You go up there and make sure Peach stays safe,"

Kamek nodded. "I'll protect her with my life, Your Uneasiness,"

"Try not to go that far, you old hag," he turned back to his troops," The rest of you, come with me! It's showtime!" With a war cry, he charged into the main hall with half of his troops, plus Chompy, on his heels.

* * *

Princess Peach wasn't sure what it was, but she could tell something was terribly wrong. The air had suddenly become thick with an overwhelming sense of danger. She rubbed her arms, suddenly feeling very cold despite the location she was in. Out of the corner her eye, she saw something move across her window. Had Mario climbed up to get her?

She walked over to the window. Vertical bars had been built in to ensure that she didn't escape. She peered out of it and immediately became confused at what she saw. Purple orbs with black center were raining down from the skies, which had taken a reddish tint.

One orb passed by close to her window, right in front her face. She suddenly felt very empty, as if all her emotions had been drained. She quickly regained her senses and jumped back from the window. The emptiness that had briefly overtaken her became filled with fear. There was something evil going on here. She turned toward the locked door, hoping Mario had arrived to rescue her. Nothing happened.

_Mario... Please..._

_Please get here soon..._

* * *

Mario awoke to sounds of fighting. He slowly sat up, opening his eyes. What he saw startled him. The castle had transformed into a full out battlefield. Bowser's troops were in the midst of a fight with some enemy Mario had never seen before. They were plain in appearance with a rounded green body, black arms and legs, and a black face that was featureless aside from a pair of eyes. The only striking thing about them was the red insignia they bore on their chest. A few held weapons such glowing blue swords or orange guns, while other simply fought with their fists.

The room had been reduced to an absolute mess. The tapestries had been torn down, some were on fire, torches had been thrown carelessly on the ground, and the throne had been toppled over. He could see koopas ramming themselves into the creatures, goombas bravely headbonking them, and hammers being thrown with amazing accuracy.

"You ok chief?" asked a Hammer Bro who had approached him. Mario nodded as he jumped to his feet. " Nice to see you're still kicking. I tell ya, it's been an absolute mess dealing with these things. Take one down, ten more pop up! Lord Bowser would toast me for saying this, but you think you could lend us a hand? They're starting to wear us down,"

Mario could never say no to someone in need.

"Thanks bud, you're a pretty cool guy! Now, if you'll excuse me," with his trademark hammer in tow, the Hammer Bro rejoined the fray.

Mario didn't know what exactly was going on, but he could tell that there was something... w_rong _with these creatures. He wasn't sure what their goal was, but for now he would fight and ask questions later.

One of the creatures made its way to Mario, its movement jagged and unpredictable. It kept its red eyes locked on the plumber, though Mario couldn't make out any emotion or thought in them. They were completely soulless. Mario shook it off and made the first move, punching it in the face. The creature flew to the ground much like a rag doll and remained still.

For the first time, Mario got a clear look at its back. It seemed to have a tear in it where purple and black orbs leaked out. Slowly, the creature's body dissipated into a fog of dark purple, leaving no evidence that it ever existed behind. He didn't know what they were, but they definitely weren't alive.

"This ain't good chief.." the Hammer Bro from before had returned. Mario glanced at him. He wasn't in very good shape. He had cuts on his arms and his shell was full of scratches and burn marks. He turned to fully face Mario.

"Listen, Lord Bowser and some others went to tackle a group that had broken in though the castle's main doors. I haven't heard anything from them since. Now, I'm a little worried about them, but we have been given orders to make sure these guys don't reach the princess, and I'm not one to go against orders..." he took a moment to bash away an enemy who had gotten to close to them. "...Do you catch my drift chief?"

Mario was puzzled for a moment, but quickly caught on to his meaning. He nodded his head.

"You're a good guy. Now hurry up and go see how they're doing. I know something bad's about to go down. Call it a Hammer Bro's intuition!,"

Over his years of adventuring, Mario has learned that when someone has 'a bad feeling about something', 99% of the time something bad will happen soon. If not, then there's a 1% chance something bad will happen later. He left the battlefield behind for whatever awaited at the main entrance.

Compared to the main hall, the throne room was absolutely pristine. The doors lay flat against the ground, large dents in them signified that they had been forced open. The statues had been completely reduced to rubble, and a large hole had been made in the wall, leading outside. Troops lay on the ground, battered and bruised. Bowser was nowhere to be seen.

Near the entrance of the wrecked room, two white robots, both resembling some sort of children's toy, were carrying large black sphere with a red X on it. The robots pulled the sphere apart, revealing a core of highly concentrated energy. Below the core, Mario could make out a digital timer counting down. He immediately recognized the device as a bomb.

_1:17. _

One minute and seventeen seconds.

Mario rushed toward the bomb. He had to find away to stop it. Before he could reach it however, a large purple beast jumped over the robots, seemingly from nowhere, landing between Mario and the bomb.

The beast strongly resembled a ram. It had long purple wool, two large, curled horns, and an angry red face. It had to have been at least twice Mario's height. The ram focused its large white eyes onto the plumber, and with a roar it broke out into a wild, rage induced charge.

Mario quickly rolled out of its way. Dealing with the bomb was more to ignore the beast for now, he made a mad dash for the device.

The ram had no intention of letting him go, however. Realizing it had missed its target, it came to a sliding stop, turning as its feet skidded across the floor. It continued its charge toward the plumber.

Mario, distracted by the bomb, didn't notice the beast until it was right upon him. He turned around just in time for the beast to pin him painfully against the ground with its feet. It gnashed its sharpened teeth together, spraying saliva all over his face. The blow knocked the wind out of the old hero, preventing him from even trying to shake the behemoth off. He really wasn't on the top of his game today. The beast made an odd churring sound, as if it were laughing at him.

"GRAAAAAH!" an earsplitting roar filled the room. Mario felt something bulldoze into the beast with amazing force. It crashed into the the ground and rolled some distance away.

Standing over Mario was an absolutely livid Bowser. In his rage, he didn't even notice the plumber laying inches away from him.

He took a step towards the ram. "_You," _he growled. "How dare you invade my lands," he took another step forward, "How _dare_ you attack my troops," smoke began leaking out of his mouth. Mario had never seen him so angry before. " And how DARE you throw me out of my own castle!"

The ram took several steps back. Unlike that puny human, this angry new foe looked dangerous. Hesitant to attack, it opted to growl at him instead

Bowser let out an amused snort. "What, are you trying to scare me? Like I'd be afraid of some oversized sheep,"he taunted.

Enraged, the ram charged at the koopa, forgetting any previous fear it had. Bowser remained still.

Just seconds before the ram smashed into him, Bowser thrust his hands forward, grabbing onto the rams' horns. The impact was so great it caused him to skid backwards across the floor. Still, his grip on the beast held, even as it tried to struggle free.

Bowser leaned in closer toward its face.

"This is what happens when you mess with the Koopa King," he said, his voice dripping with venom. The rams face turned completely white from fear. With a mighty yell, he threw the ram behind him, straight through the hole in the castle wall. It fell off the platform the castle rested on and disappeared from sight.

As this happened, Mario took a moment to finally regain his breath. He glanced over at the bomb, and felt cold terror grip him. There were only five seconds left. He struggled to his feet.

4..

He dashed toward the bomb with as much speed as he could muster. But there's no way he could possibly make it in time.

3...

He thought of everyone in the castle. The innocent troops, Bowser, the Hammer Bro who had helped him, and, most importantly, Peach. Would she be safe?

2...

He had to save them! He was Super Mario! He always found a way... Right?

1...

The bomb didn't explode like he had expected it too. Instead, the core of the bomb caved in on itself, creating a black, swirling mass of dark energy. It began to expand, engulfing the robots who had been operating it. Rubble was sucked into the void, as well as any unfortunate troops nearby.

The expanding darkness rapidly approached Mario, who had begun to back away. It was on him in an instant. He vaguely heard Bower yelling something, but he couldn't make it out. He saw a flash of white, then everything faded away.

* * *

**Longest thing I've ever written as of now. 3,679 words. Yikes.  
**

**I felt that the ending was a little cheesy. In fact, this whole story will probably be cheesy. OH WELL, THAT'S MY NAME I GUESS.**


	3. Answers

Mario groaned as he regained consciousness. The first thing he was aware of was the splitting aching in his head. His whole body felt sore. What had happened? He remembered fighting Bowser and then... He sat up with a violent jolt, and immediately regretted it as the sudden movement caused his headache to worsen. He tried to ignore the pain as his memory came rushing back. He remembered the the sudden attack on Bowser's castle by.. those _things_. He remembered the castle being consumed by the explosion. A more pressing thought came to mind. _Peach. _What had happened to Peach?

"Ah, forgive me. I hadn't noticed you were awake," he heard an unfamiliar voice say.

For the first time, Mario opened his eyes. The sudden brightness caused him to squint. At first everything was a complete blur. He could make out various blues and greys meshed together, but most prominent was a large splash of white in the center of his vision. He make anything out of it yet, but it seemed to be moving.

"The effects of teleportation can be rather disorienting, especially when you're unprepared for it," the voice continued, "but it was the only way I could save you, you see,"

Mario's vision finally began to come into focus. The white blur's feature began to show, revealing what seemed to be... a giant glove? Mario opened his mouth ready to ask one of the thousands of questions that were running through his head. The hand cut him off before he could however.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," said the hand, despite it having no discernible mouth, "and I'll do by my best to answer them. The problem is that we do not have much time. There are other worlds out there that will soon face the same fate as yours,".

At this, Mario immediately jumped to his feet, ignoring the weariness in his limbs. Above all, he wanted to know what had happened to his home, to his friends and family. To Peach. He stared at the hand with a steely gaze. What exactly happened back there? And what were those tightened his fists. Did this hand have anything to do with it?

The hand rushed to pacify the agitated plumber, "Settle down! Settle down! I'm no enemy of yours. After all, I did save from the explosion didn't I? It was no easy task, I'll have you know,"

Mario didn't really care about that at the moment. He wanted to know where his friends were.

The glove calmly turned around towards a large black computer screen. "If it brings you any peace, I'll have you know that your world has not been destroyed, nor have your friends been injured," Mario felt relief wash over his body at the news."Well, they haven't been injured yet anyway," and the relief was gone in an instant.

Before Mario could say anything, the hand continued," You see, your world, the Mushroom Kingdom, was, for lack of a better term, stolen. That black and purple explosion you saw back there sucked in your entire world and transported it into an odd rift between space called Subspace. I can see what goes on in other worlds across the universe, but what goes on in Subspace is a mystery to me,"

The hand typed a few commands onto a large keyboard, probably made to accommodate the his giant fingers, and the computer screen zoomed in on a particular location. Stars became visible, small specks of white against dark, as the screen centered on an orb of swirling purple and black.

"This computer holds data on every planet in the universe, and it is from here I can view what happens on each of them,'" The hand turned back to Mario,"This... is where your planet once was,"

Mario felt his jaw drop. What did he mean 'where it once was'? How did this even happen? He stared at the hand, desperately hoping for more answers.

"Even I'm not sure how this came to be. From my knowledge, Subspace is a desolate place, devoid of life. Well... mostly anyway. I know of one being who dwells there, one who was banished there long ago. How he managed to recruit those beings and that bomb, I haven't a clue," he said.

Mario wanted for the hand to elaborate on who this being was, but instead the hand decided to change the subject. "I know that you are a great hero in your world, and even in others, so that is why I chose to bring you here. It was no easy task, mind you. My power is vastly limited to this planet that we are on, using it to teleport you here was difficult enough, it nearly drained me of all of my energy, which is why I was only able to save you alone. Forgive me, but rescuing your friends was not possible,"

Mario nodded in response. It was enough for him to know that they were still alive. That at least meant that he could save them. Speaking of which, how could he reach this place called Subspace?

The hand paused, as if he had read the plumber's, then said carefully," I have yet to find a way into Subspace, Mario, and even if I had, going in by yourself would cause nothing your immediate capture. Those creatures you saw, Primids I like to call them, are fairly weak. They do not think, feel, or are even alive. They only obey. However, they can be mass produced. I may not know the exact numbers, but just know that Bowser's castle was not the only place on your world that was attacked. They completely invaded it, and even as we speak they are targeting other worlds. I fear that even with your track record you'd have trouble dealing with this threat alone,"

Mario's shoulders sagged after seeing the scope of the impossible situation he was in. His home, his entire world had been stolen from him, and now in order to save it, he find a way to fight an army of immeasurable size. He can't fight them by himself, but who else did he have to turn to?

"I know this seems like a hopeless situation," the hand said sympathetically, "but all hope is not lost. I have developed a plan, though granted we are going a bit of luck to pull it off," the glove typed in some more commands into the keyboard, causing the map to zoom out. The map now showed many more planets. Out of them, only two had fallen into Subspace.

"You see, we have plenty of places to recruit help. This is where you come in. Unfortunately, I am unable to leave this planet, and my powers are, for the most part, suppressed. I want you to go to these worlds and bring back some fighters. If the enemy is going to make an army, then we'll make our own too! Of course, if you can find a way to disarm those bombs, that would prove to be a great help as well. The less planets they can get their hands on, the better," The hand began to float toward an odd device near the corner of the room. He beckoned Mario over.

The device was very wide and cylindrical in appearance. Mario reckoned it could fit at least ten people. At it base was a large grey circular platform with two lines running through it, one horizontal, the other vertical. On its top a variety of thick, multicolored wires stuck out, some connecting to other nearby machines, others directly into the wall. Below the wires were two rows of green lights, each shining brightly.

"This machine here is a teleporter," the hand said. "As the name suggests, it can take you almost anywhere, barring Subspace. I'll just type in some coordinates, and you'll be there in a zip. It won't work unless you have this gadget though,"

The hand gave Mario a small remote control like device. A single green button was at its center, covered by a Plexiglass casing.

"Once you have teleported somewhere, press that button to return. If you want to return with others, make sure you are holding on to them. All in all, I'm sure this device will prove to be very..._ Handy._ Ha ha ha!"

Mario stared blankly at the hand.

"Ha ha... Ahem. I'm.. .sure you'll understand the humor in that someday. Witty humor can be a little difficult grasp at first, but once you do... Ah never mind," the hand pushed Mario onto the platform. He floated over to the controls and began typing "By the time you reach this planet," he said over the clattering of the keyboard,"the Subspace army will already have arrived. Be prepared,"

The plumber did one of his trademark jumps in response. He was ready to get some payback. This hand, as odd as it was, also seemed rather trustworthy.

The machine began to whir with various beeps. Suddenly, Mario became very curious about this world he was going to. What was it called?

" You know, there's one odd thing about this planet... It was never given a name! This planet is rather sparsely populated, and the conditions in most parts can be rather rough. I suppose the people there have never given the idea any thought. Though I personally like to call it Iceburg..." The hand suddenly snapped his fingers." Speaking of names... I never gave you mine, did I?" The glove unfurled himself as if he were offering a handshake,"You may call me Master Hand. Pleased to be at your service."

Mario tipped his hat in response.

The machine began to crackle with energy. Mario could see wisps of electricity leaking out of it.

"Hopefully this thing doesn't malfunction... There was a nasty power outage earlier. Most likely the Subspace Army trying to mess with me,"

Mario suddenly felt very unsafe.

" It's time to go now. I wish you good luck! And don't get frost bite!," Master Hand said as he waved goodbye.

Before he went, Mario briefly thought of his friends back home. He wondered if his brother Luigi was safe back at their house. He wondered if Peach had managed to find safety. He hoped they could hold on until he found a way to help them.

And then the world went white.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Mushroom Kingdom, complete chaos had broken out. The sky was covered with blood red clouds, a violet fog had settled over the land, and Subspace troops occupied every civilized area, including Toad Town. All of this went unnoticed by Luigi.

He was currently sitting at his kitchen table, reading a biography on his favorite wrestler, Prince Mush. When word had spread that Peach had been kidnapped _again_, Mario took off out the door without so much as a word to his brother. No 'Hey-a Luigi, would you like to come with me to save-a the Princess?' or 'Take-a care while I'm-a gone, Luigi!' or even a simple 'Goodbye, Luigi!'.

The tea kettle on the stove began to whistle, interrupting Luigi's negative thoughts. He got up to take the kettle off of the burner. As he did, there was a knock on the door. Setting the kettle the counter, he went to greet the visitor.

Opening the door revealed that his visitor was a Primid, though Luigi didn't actually recognize it.

"Can I help you?" he asked it.

The Primid said nothing, it only swayed back and forth as if it were in a daze.

Due to its silence, Luigi assumed this creature had been looking for his brother instead and hadn't expected him to be the one open the door. It's happened before. A lot.

"Sorry buddy, if you want to see my brother, he's out on an adventure right now. It could a few weeks for him to come back. Try coming back then," with that said, Luigi closed the door. He turned around, ready to get back to his book, when someone knocked at the door again. He opened the door again, and sure enough, the same Primid was waiting there.

The two stared at each other, one confused, the other completely blank. Luigi scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

Somewhere in the background, a lighting bolt violently erupted from the red clouds, splitting a tree straight down the middle. Shadowy orbs were falling from the sky, the same type of orbs that could be seen leaking out of the Primid's back. Luigi came to a sudden realization.

"If you're not a fan of my brother's... Than maybe you're one of my fans?" he said hopefully.

The Primid moved its head down a fraction of an inch. Luigi took that as a yes. He nearly cried from joy.

"Yahoo! A fan who'd actually go out of their way to visit me! I bet my brother doesn't have that! ... Well okay, he does... But still!" Luigi ushered the Primid into his house. "You should stay here for a bit. The weather's looking pretty crazy today,"

Shutting the door, he walked over to the tea kettle. "Would you like some tea, Mr...ermm... What's your name?" he asked.

The Primid said nothing.

"Well, I need to call you something. It doesn't feel good to not have a name. I would know! People never remember mine! It's like I don't even have one... Now what to call you..." Luigi looked around for ideas, when his eyes fell upon his book. "I know! I'll call you Mush, after the great Glitz Pit wrestler! You're okay with that right," The Primid didn't object, so Luigi assumed it was all right.

"Good! It's all settled. Now why don't you sit down, Mush?" he said. When Mush made no movement, Luigi quickly added, "...Or you can keep standing there, that's fine. Say, did you ever hear about that one time I went to the Waffle Kingdom? No? Okay, so it went like this..."

* * *

**D'aww... Luigi made a friend! It may be a lifeless doll, but Luigi will take what he can get.  
**

**Fun Facts about this chapter: This was actually the first chapter I wrote. Afterwards, I wrote the REAL first chapter, paused in the middle of it to write the prologue, then came back and finished it. I don't think this is how you're supposed to write a story, Cheesy.**

**I was originally going to have Master Hand explain some more things than what he did, but I didn't want to turn this chapter into a bigger exposition fest than what it already was.**

**Also, I kept spelling Subspace as Supspace. Every single time. I kept imagining the Primids wearing sunglasses and saying " 'sup yo" to everyone or something. Maybe it's a good thing that they're silent.  
**


	4. On Ice

On top of an icy mountain, far from civilization, two children were making their usual climb. They were currently passing through one of the mountain's many inner tunnels, picking up any vegetables they came across.

"You think this is enough?" the girl in pink said, referring to a bag filled with vegetables. Her partner, a boy wearing blue, looked it over.

"I think we should keep going, I still have a bag to fill up after all. Besides, up ahead is where all the eggplants grow. Can't do without those, right Nana?" he said.

The girl, Nana, perked up a bit at the mention of their favorite food. "Well, I _suppose_ I could carry this for a little while longer... You can hold onto this for me then," she said, handing her hammer to the boy. With a bit of effort, she heaved the heavy bag over her shoulder.

"You want me to carry that?" the boy asked her.

"No, I'm fine. I'm going to have to carry a bag anyway,"

The two walked on in silence for awhile, before Nana spoke again.

"Say Popo... It it just me, or did it get really dark in here?" she asked.

Popo shook his head. "No... Now that you mention it..." Usually the tunnels are very well lit during the day. The sun would reflect of off the ice, lighting the entire place. That, combined with the plants ability to live in ice, was what allowed the vegetables to grow. "It was barely past noon when we got here... You think a storm rolled in?" The weather could be very unpredictable on the mountains. One moment it could be sunny, the next moment there could be a blizzard brewing.

Nana's shoulders sagged at the mention of a storm. "Geez, I hope not," They approached the end of the tunnel. "I guess we're about to find out,"

They were unprepared for the sight that awaited them outside. Blood red clouds had taken over what was just recently clear skies. Instead of white snowflakes falling like they were used to seeing, black orbs fell in their stead.

After overcoming the initial shock, the two set down their supplies and discussed what to do.

"There's no use trying to go back down. This storm, or whatever it is, is already on top of us," Nana said. "I guess we could take shelter in the tunnels."

"I think that's our best option," Popo agreed. "Still..." he looked back up to the skies. "What do you think caused this? This isn't like any storm I've ever seen,"

"I don't know. Somehow, it doesn't feel natural." she noticed a black orb fall in front of her. "And what's up with these things?" she reached out to catch it.

Popo noticed some lightning flash in the distance. "Well, that at least confirms it a storm. Lightning on the mountains... That's pretty rare, huh Nana?" he turned back to her. She seemed fixated on that orb.

"Nana?" he called out to her. No response. "Nana!" he said more forcefully.

The shout snapped her out of the trance. With a yelp, she quickly dropped the orb and backed away from it. Popo rushed over to her.

"Are you okay? What just happened there?"

"I... I don't know." said, shaking slightly. "When I touched it, it just felt like..." she struggled to find the words, "nothing. It felt like nothing."

"Well, it had have been something," Popo said, folding his arms. "You just completely blanked there for a second."

"Exactly!" she said, a little annoyed. "It was like it drained me of everything, leaving nothing behind. It was so strange. I was scared, but when it happened I couldn't _feel _scared."

Popo finally understood what she was saying. "Nana..."

"I'm fine now, don't worry...Hm?" She peered over him. "What's going on over there?"

Popo followed her gaze over to a mass of black orbs that had seemed to gather together. Slowly, they began to fuse, forming a green, bipedal creature.

The two quickly grabbed their hammers. Whatever this thing was, they had a feeling it wasn't friendly.

* * *

When Master Hand had told him to brace for cold weather, he hadn't expecting it to be _this _cold. He didn't expect to arrive on a mountain either. _Nor _did he expect to land headfirst in a pile of snow. With a bit of effort, Mario managed to free himself from his little prison, enabling him to look around.

The mountain still towered over him, but he was high enough to see across the horizon. Many other mountains, some smaller than the one he was on, others larger, dotted the landscape. He figured he must be about halfway from the summit.

He stood up, rubbing his arms with his hands to get some warmth flowing. He went from trekking across a volcanic wasteland to standing on top of a frozen mountain, all within a span of a few hours. The sudden change in extremes took a toll on the plumbers body, but he wasn't ready to let it get the best of him.

He immediately noticed the weather, a telltale sign of the Subspace Army's presence. The ice on the mountain took on the color of the sky, making it appear as if the mountain itself was bleeding. He shivered at the sight.

There was a path that curved upwards around the mountain to his left, one that was marked with footprints. To his right was a ledge where the footprints started. Several feet below it lay a platform of ice, and more platforms lay below that one. He assumed whoever had passed by went upwards. He let out a hum and folded his arms. Go up or down? Master Hand never really gave him specific instructions...

A sudden explosion rattled the Mountain, nearly shaking Mario off of his feet. Ice and snow became dislodged and rained down from above. He quickly pulled his hat down tightly over his head to shield himself from the oncoming onslaught of ice shards. He felt some bounce off of his hat, though most missed him. They broke like glass upon hitting the ground.

Once everything settled he pulled his hat back up. Luckily for him, most of the mountain was made of ice instead of snow, preventing an avalanche. Ice shards were better than being buried alive. The location of the explosion was easy to identify. A trail of smoke could be seen rising on the other side of the mountain, just a little further up. Looks like he knew where to go next.

He found that the path twisting around the mountain didn't lead straight up like he thought it would. It ended with a sharp drop off; he couldn't even see the ground though all the mist. He scratched his head. There must be a way up somewhere...

He suddenly remembered the footprints. Maybe they'd reveal something. After a bit backtracking, he retraced the footsteps, hoping it would make his path clearer. They went same direction he did it seems. As he was following them, he noticed that there seemed to be an extra pair of footprints. Maybe whoever went by was the cause of the explosion... Mario was jarred out of his thoughts as the prints veered to the right... Straight into the mountain?

Mario placed his hand on the mountain. Nothing but a solid wall of ice, to thick to break and to sheer to climb. Still, there must be a secret here. He'd bet his mustache on it! He remembered seeing the platforms of ice that lead up the mountain where he landed, maybe that was the case here. He looked up, revealing there were no platforms to climb here. But it did reveal the answer to his problem. About fifteen feet above him, he could make out an opening in the side of the ice. So that's were he has to go...

Mario smiled. This would be no problem for him. They don't call him Jumpman for nothing! He backed up as far as he could away from the mountain. A Triple Jump should be able to get him up there. He made a running start and jumped into the air. When he landed he immediately bounced into the air again, this time going higher. Once he landed, he made one final, grand jump going twice as high, landing perfectly on a pile of snow inside the cave.

He took a moment to try and regain his breath. The air was so thin up there, it made any physical tasks an extreme strain on the body. He hoped the rest of the climb would be smoother. He took a few steps into the cave... And immediately fell on his face. So much for smoother.

The entire thing was made out of ice: the walls, the floor, the ceiling, everything. Some of the ice formed crystal like formations. Various vine like structures weaved around the formations and spread throughout the cave. Near the ground, he could see structures similar to plants 'growing' through the ice. They were a beautiful sight, though he noticed that the cave got darker as it went on. The conditions outside blocked any light form coming in... If he wasn't careful, he could end up falling painfully into the ice crystals.

His feet slipped every which way as he stood back up. After a bit of effort, he finally managed to find his balance. Gripping the ice formations, he slid his way though the cave. Occasionally, he'd bump into a small wall and would have to blindly climb over it. At least he knew that he was going up. After only a few slip ups, he began to see the end the tunnel.

The tunnel led to a rather large open space. Right away, he noticed something sticking out of the snow. He went over to investigate it. Picking it up, it revealed itself to be a wooden mallet. He took a glance around seeing if there was anything else to be found.

He spotted something pink to his left. He jumped to his feet. It was a person, a _child _even, laying face down in the snow. Mario quickly rushed over to her, fearing the worst. Her parka was slightly scorched in some places, reminding Mario of the explosion that went off earlier. With a gulp, he gently shook her, hoping she wasn't too injured. _Or worse._

To his surprise, the girl immediately awoke with a startled yelp and jumped to her feet. Unlike Mario, she was certainly dressed for the weather. She wore a thick pink parka lined with white fur, a pair of brown mittens, and large white shoes designed for climbing. Mario suddenly remembered how cold he was...

The girl took a few steps back, glaring at him. If she was hurt, she certainly didn't show it.

"What? Do I have to deal with you, too? You're with those other guys, aren't you Mr. Mustache?" she said.

Mario raised up his free hand, signaling that he wasn't an enemy.

The girl didn't buy it at all. "Hey! Don't you lie to me! I never see anyone else up on these mountains. First, we end up getting attacked by these... _Things,_ and then the very same day, you show up! Seems a little too coincidental... Well, if you're looking for a fight you've... Huh?" she began to look around. "Where'd... Where'd my hammer go?"

Mario had honestly forgotten he was holding it. He held it up for her to see. Maybe now he could talk to her.

"Ah.. I see how it is," Looks like it worked. "You plan to take a girl out with her own hammer, huh? That is just low. You should be ashamed of yourself," Nope. Didn't work at all.

This was getting nowhere. With an exasperated sigh, he held it forward for her to take.

The action took the girl by surprise. She took a few cautious steps toward him, expecting him to lash out at any second. When he didn't, she quickly snatched away from him and began to inspect it. She mumbled a thanks and turned away from him, looking for something else.

Mario wasn't ready to let her go that easily. He tapped her shoulder and motioned to the area she was lying in. He wanted to know what had happened.

"Huh? How I did end up there?" she pointed upwards with her hammer. "I fell," she said simply.

Mario felt his jaw drop. The place she 'fell' from had to be at least 50 feet above them... How did she...?

"That doesn't matter right now!" she said. "Listen, have you seen a boy around my height wearing in blue?" She seemed a little panicked.

Mario shook his head. She had been the only person he had seen so far.

"Then that means he's still... Damn it all," she cursed. Mario was about to ask about this person when she took off toward another cave.

"Look," she called back to him, "I'm sorry to leave you hanging here, but my friend needs my help right now. You might want to stay out of this, those guys are pretty nasty," Before Mario could stop her, she ran off inside a different cave. He had no intention of 'staying out of this'. With another sigh, he ran after her through the cave, slipping every step of the way.

* * *

The girl slowed down slightly upon noticing she had a follower. She called back to him, "What is your deal anyway? You're hardly prepared to be climbing a mountain like this. How have you not frozen yet?" Mario felt like he was about to.

She made an abrupt stop, causing Mario to fall flat on his face. "Don't have the right shoes for it either it seems," She lifted one her shoes, revealing spikes attached to the bottom. So that's how she wasn't slipping... She offered him her hand, which he gratefully took.

As they walked, he briefly explained through a grand series of gestures that about how he was after the Primids and how they could be dangerous if left alone. He chose to leave out the part about the bomb and how he was from another world. No use complicating things now.

"You take that whole not talking thing pretty seriously... But I think I understood you," After a moment she spoke again, "My name's Nana by the way. You? That M on your hat doesn't actually stand for mustache, does it?"

Mario took off his hat and showed it to her. 'Mario' was etched neatly inside.

"Hmm. I thought I had you there... Well, nice to meet you Mario."

They traveled in silence for awhile, until they passed by something Mario found completely out of the ordinary.

"What is it?" Nana asked as Mario pointed to several eggplants growing in the cave. Despite the conditions, they seemed to be growing fine. He had assumed the vine and plant structures from earlier were made of ice. He guessed not.

Nana glared at Mario. "My friend's in trouble, and the only thing you can think about is eating? Hmph." She sped up her pace a bit, leaving Mario behind.

Mario took his hat off and ran a hand through his hair. Eggplants growing on top of icy mountains must be normal here. But it was just so... _Abnormal_. He shook his head and rushed to catch up with her.

Mario soon reached the area where the bomb had gone off, made evident by the large crater in the snow. Nana seemed to be standing over something, her head down. The plumber moved closer and froze at what he saw. A single hammer, much like the one Nana carried, lay near the crater. However, there was no sign of its owner. Silently, she picked it up.

"Popo... You're all right aren't you?" she said quietly, holding the hammer close to her.

Mario looked away, unsure of what to say. He didn't know what had happened exactly, but chances are that if the explosion didn't get him, the Primids did instead.

Nana walked over to some bags that were propped up against the wall. She grabbed an empty one, ready to put away her friend's hammer, but suddenly stopped. She beckoned Mario over to her.

"Hey, you can use a hammer right?" she asked. Hesitantly, Mario shook his head. She took a deep breath. "...All right, then I'll trust you with this for now. Don't break it," she held out the hammer to him.

Mario nodded and carefully took it, understanding how important it was to the girl. He gave it a few swings to test it out. It was a little lighter than what he was used to, but it would work.

Nana looked up. She knew there was one large open area just beneath the tip of the summit. She turned to Mario. "We didn't pass them on the way down, so that means the only way they went is up," she pointed the side of the mountain. "The wall is scalable here, if not a little slippery. It's our only way up though. Hopefully Popo is up there as well," She grabbed onto one of the gaps between the ice with her free hand and began to climb. Her hammer was still slung over her shoulder, but it seemed to cause her no trouble. Mario mimicked her posture and followed her.

There was a large shelf of ice and snow they could walk on, just before the tip of the summit. The ground was tilted at an angle, but it would work as long they were careful with their footing.

Nana peered over the edge, and to her excitement, about a dozen of those Primid creatures could be seen lumbering around a good distance away. They finally caught up to them... She gestured to Mario, who still down a little ways. He nodded his head, understanding, and quickly climbed up next to her.

"So..."she whispered, "How should we handle these guys?"

Mario shrugged. He just wanted to get in there and fight them. The tactic usually worked for him.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking," she said. She proceeded to pull herself over the ledge, not even bothering to hide her presence. Mario followed her.

The Primids noticed the duo right away. For a brief moment they simply stared at them before they slowly made their way towards them. Nana took a step back.

"The way these things move... They just creep me out. It's like they're zombies or something,"

Mario recalled his encounter with them at Bowser's castle. They might as well be called zombies. They certainly weren't alive.

"Well, whatever," she took a few steps forward. "Hey, Popo!" she called. "You over there? Answer if you can!"

The only sound was the Primids' footsteps crunching against snow.

She didn't say anything else, but Mario could tell she overwhelmed with worry. The fact that these things would even attack children... Mario felt a flame ignite within him. With a roar, he charged at the Primids.

Mario's sudden attack snapped Nana out of her daze. She had just remembered something important. "Mario, STOP!"

Hearing the panicked tone in her voice, he immediately came to a halt, just in time to see buzz past his face into the ground. A white bird with multicolored tipped wings was now stuck beak first in the snow in front of him. He grabbed it by its neck and pulled it out. It had an extremely large, pointed beak. If Nana hadn't told him to stop, it would have skewered him. He threw the bird like a javelin into a nearby Primids chest. It crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Nana ran to the plumbers side. "I had forgotten about those things. Keep your eyes above you. Auroros are a lot more dangerous..." she jumped back, avoiding one of the birds,"...than those Primid guys," she brought her hammer down on the bird. It disappeared in a cloud of purple orbs.

Mario noticed a Primid was drawing close to him, its fist pulled back. At the same time, he saw a flash of color fly above him. He dodged the Primids attack,while at the sane time putting in the path of the Auroros' descent. It punctured the Primid straight through the top, killing it instantly. Before the Auroros could free itself, Mario swatted it away with his hammer.

Meanwhile, Nana was having a more difficult time fending off her foes. One Auroros was being particularly annoying. She swept her hammer in an arc, intending to hit its head, only to have it float out of range with a sweep of its wings. It took this time to counter with a quick jab from its beak. It managed to graze her cheek, landing deep enough to draw blood. With a growl, she thrust her free hand forward, creating a small blizzard. The freezing blast caused the bird to fall to the ground, encased in a block of ice. With a swing of her hammer, Nana shattered it.

Mario rushed over to smack away a Primid that was sneaking up behind her. The enemies themselves weren't very strong, but they became very hard to keep track off in numbers.

"Thanks. I've never really fought on my own before," she confessed. "Usually I have Popo to back me up," She looked around the battlefield. "...What are they doing?"

The Primids had stopped. They didn't just stop attacking, they completely stopped doing anything.

Mario had a bad feeling in his stomach. He saw Nana grip her mallet tighter. So she had noticed it too. He strained his ears. He could vaguely make out a noise drowned out in the wind. It gradually got louder. Mario identified the noise as the wingbeats of birds. The wingbeats of _many _birds. The two looked up and could make out an aurora moving over the mountains summit. No, it was a flock of Auroros.

"You gotta be kidding me..." Nana said, dropping her hammer.

Mario, alarmed by this sudden development, looked around for a place they could take shelter in. They would be skewered alive if they stayed out in the open. To his dismay, there was no place to hide from the oncoming storm. Mario realized why the Primids had stopped attacking. They were keeping their distance to avoid being in the target zone.

The birds hovered ominously over them, ready to attack at any moment. Mario stood over the small climber, ready to protect her if necessary.

Suddenly, a sharp screech filled the air, echoing off of nearby mountains. A bright orange figure shot across the sky like a comet, piercing the flock of Auroros. Most were killed on impact, left to limply fall to the ground.

The figure slowed down, revealing itself to be a colossal sized bird. It made a large turn, and alighted before Mario and Nana.

Mario readied his weapon, unsure of this creatures motives. The bird regarded them yellow, pupil less eyes, showing no signs on hostility. In fact, its eyes seemed to hold a glimmer of intelligence behind them.

Suddenly, a boy peered over the birds shoulder. Mario noticed he was wearing a blue and white parka almost similar in design to Nana's. Was this her friend?

"Popo!" Nana cried out, confirming Mario's suspicion. Forgetting her hammer, she ran over to the bird.

"Nana!" the boy cried out in return. He jumped off of his temporary steed to greet the girl. He landed on the ground just in time for Nana to barrel into him, nearly knocking the both of them down.

"You're okay, aren't you?" Nana said, holding on to him tightly. "Do you know how scared I was that something bad had happened to you?"

"Sorry, sorry," Popo said, hugging her back. "But I was scared too, you know. When you fell off that cliff, I thought..." he suddenly noticed the cut on her cheek. "You're hurt,"

"Huh? This? This is nothing. We can take care of it when we get back home. Still..." she broke apart from him to get a better look at the bird. "This is him isn't it? The condor?"

Popo nodded. "Yes, I think so... No, I know it is! He saved me from those monsters when the blast nearly knocked me out. Just like when he saved my father all those years ago,"

"That is crazy..."

With a great beat of its wings, the condor took to the skies again, ready to take care off the remaining Auroros. Nana remembered that they still had Primids to deal with as well. "After we beat these guys, let's head home, all right?" she said. She took up a fighting position, only to realize that she had misplaced her hammer again. "Damn it! How do I keep losing that thing?"

"You really need to keep better track of your stuff, Nana,"

"Be quiet,"

Mario approached them, holding both of their hammers. Popo took his, saying a 'thank you' while Nana simply snatched hers, grumbling.

The battle against the Primids continued. Mario noted that the two fought well together. Their attacks were in perfect sync with each other, dealing double the damage to any enemy that came near. When one attacked, the other would protect them from any counter attacks. The three made short work of any remaining Prminds.

A screech from overhead signaled that the condor had also finished with its quarries, and was now circling lazily overhead.

Popo took this time to approach Mario. "Thank you!" was all he said.

Mario wasn't quite expecting that. After a moment he nodded his head, but was still clearly confused.

"For helping us fight these guys just now," Popo elaborated, "and for looking out for Nana. That means a lot to me," the boy finished, smiling. Mario found himself smiling in return.

"Well, I would have been fine on my own..." Nana said, "but he is a pretty a nice guy, I'll give him that. His name is Mario. He's not really much of a talker,"

"I'm Popo, nice to meet you," he said, offering his hand, which Mario shook.

A chilling wind began to blow. The two climbers didn't seem too affected by it, but Mario began to shiver violently. Popo looked at him, worried.

"We need to get him off this mountain fast..."

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Nana asked him. "Going back the way we came would take too long."

The condor landed behind them, reminding them of its presence. It stretched out its wings, shielding the three from the wind. Popo suddenly had an idea.

"Excuse me!" he said, getting the condor's attention. "I know you've done so much to help us already, but could you possibly carry us down the mountain? Our friend needs to get someplace warm,"

The condor seemed to understand the boy's request as it lowered itself down to the ground, allowing them to climb on. The two climbers cheered.

"Thank you!"

"Yeah, thanks!

Popo turned back to the plumber. "Do you need any help getting on?"

Mario declined the offer. He was numb, but he could manage that at least. As the boy went to help his friend onto the bird, Mario quickly surveyed the area. Aside from a bunch of footprints littered about the snow, there was no trace that the Subspace Army had ever been there. There was no trace of the Subspace bomb either. Perhaps it was somewhere else?

"You didn't freeze to the ground, did you?" Nana called from on top of the bird.

Mario started, then headed over to the condor as fast as his numbed body could take him. He took a seat behind Nana.

"All right Mister Condor!" she cried. "Let's go!"

With a mighty flap of its wings, the condor took the skies, seemingly unburdened by the extra weight. Mario took on last glance at the mountain to see if he had missed anything. If there was a bomb there, he couldn't see it. He'd have to keep on his guard. But for now, the most important thing was to get somewhere warm.

* * *

**An ill timed power outage kept me from finishing this chapter for an extra few days. Rage ensued.**

**So yeah.**

**Introducing the Ice Climbers this chapter. I was always fond of them, but they don't seem to get written about a lot, so I thought it'd be interesting to give them a bigger role. They're not related in this story, just saying.  
**

**'You take that whole not talking thing pretty seriously...'- I just can't imagine Mario being much of a talker, so in this story I made him *mostly* mute. I'm not saying he'll never talk, just not often.  
**

**'Mario felt his jaw drop. The place she 'fell' from had to be at least 50 feet above them...'- Prior to writing this, I decided to go back and watch the SSE cutscenes. I intend to sprinkle some references to it here and there. Anyways, does anyone remember that one scene where the Ice Climbers fall off an **_**entire mountain,**_** and land perfectly fine at the bottom? Not sure if I should call that badass or bullshit. **


	5. To Peach's Castle!

The morning slowly faded into night as Luigi recounted tales of his adventures. Unlike his silent brother, Luigi could talk a man insane. Most people would make any excuse they could to avoid a tale of his 'harrowing, so-much-better-than-Mario's, romance filled adventures'. So when Mush remained where he was and listened intently to his stories, Luigi was absolutely thrilled. However, if he had actually been paying attention, Luigi would have noticed how the Primid's eyes had dimmed within the first ten minutes of his story. In other words, he had totally fallen asleep. The closest thing a Primid could get to sleeping anyway.

At the moment, Luigi was recalling the time he and Mario had been trapped inside Bowser's body, but something about his story was a little... off.

"So then we come across this giant, gross, black bug," Luigi said shivering slightly at the memory. "Mario of course was freaking out, but not the fearless Luigi! I was standing valiantly before the beast, hammer in hand, ready to take him on, when suddenly..." Luigi took a brief glance toward the clock,."Oh! Six already? I was so caught up in my story I didn't even notice," he jumped off his chair. Mush's eyes lit up again at the sudden movement.

"I had some errands I needed to run in Toad Town today, but with the weather.." he took a look out his window. The skies had returned to normal for the most part. "Well, it seems that purplish rain has let up for now. I'd better head off then," Luigi made his way to the door. To his surprise, Mush followed him. "Huh? Do you want to come with? That'd be great! I can tell you the rest of my story now," Had anyone been paying attention, it would have seemed that the Primid hesitated as he said that.

* * *

Toad Town had fallen completely under the control of the Subspace Army. Some buildings had received minor damage, but aside from that the town was mostly intact. Most citizens remained confined to their houses. Every now and then, a frightened Toad could be seen peeking out of windows. The strange creatures that made up the Subspace Army were now simply patrolling the streets. Any acts of rebellion were immediately quashed. It seemed that as long as the citizens didn't cause trouble, they'd be safe.

So when Luigi and his companion walked through town, they were largely ignored. As unaware as he could be at times, even Luigi felt that there was something terribly wrong here. Something caught his eye and he nudged Mush with his elbow.

"Say, Mush, is that your brother?" he pointed to a nearby Primid. At the sound of his voice, every creature halted to identify the noise. Luigi could feel eyes on him from every angle. He froze in place, suddenly very frightened. Something clicked in his mind that this creatures were not friendly. He was beginning to have some doubts about Mush... A few tense moments passed, and eventually the occupiers concluded that he was no threat and continued their patrol.

Luigi felt his legs give out beneath him and he fell to the ground with a relieved sigh. Maybe there were some perks to being easily overlooked. He glanced over to Mush, who had been watching the scene unfold.

"I think you have some explaining to do," he whispered, not wanting to attract anymore attention. Mush looked at him but didn't say anything, not that Luigi was expecting him to. Before he could totally regain his bearings, he felt something wet wrap around his body, and was dragged into an alley with surprising force.

He was thrown against the ground on his back. Without even trying to look at his attacker, he closed his eyes and held his hands out in front him. Oh, this is just like in those horror films!

"W-Wait!" he cried. "I wasn't looking for any trouble! I just wanted to go run some errands! N-None of which involve meddling in your plans or acting all heroic like, that's kinda my brother's job... Huh?" Was something... _Licking _him? Opening his eyes revealed a large green nose and friendly eyes. "Y-Yoshi?" he said, surprised.

"Yoshi!" the green dinosaur echoed and continued to lick Luigi's face.

"Ack! Yoshi! Th-That's enough!" Luigi spluttered.

"Yoshi... Sorry Luigi," the green dinosaur said backing off of him. He sounded slightly disappointed, but Luigi could still see his tail wagging. As Luigi took the time to wipe the saliva of his face, Yoshi continued. "I'm so happy to see you! Bad guys have taken over the castle and they've been capturing people. Very bad! Yoshi was worried that they took Mario and Luigi, too."

Luigi got back to his feet. "Well, I'm fine, but... Mario still hasn't come back yet," It's true that he and Mario haven't really been all that close lately, but at the same time he couldn't help but worry about him. Yoshi's tail stopped wagging at the news.

"Mario's... Missing?" he said, his normally bright eyes filling with sadness.

"No, no! You know Mario. He's probably out fixing this mess as we speak." It was probably better for them to stay out of this.

Yoshi didn't seem to accept this though. He stood up taller, any previous sadness he had replaced with determination. "We should go help him! Mario doesn't need to do everything on his own. Luigi! Luigi! Let's go find him!" If Yoshi was known for anything aside from his bottomless stomach, it was for his boundless energy and optimism.

"All right... I suppose it couldn't hurt anything if we went looking for him. Just hold on a second," Luigi walked pass the dinosaur and out of the alley. Sure enough, Mush was still standing in the same place."U-um..." Luigi stuttered. He wasn't really sure what to do with Mush right now. He was clearly part of the group that took over Toad Town, but at the same time Luigi had begun to think of him as a friend. And besides, it not like the great Luigi to give up on a fan! "Mush," he finally continued, "are you still coming with us?"

He felt Yoshi beside him, sniffing curiously at Mush. Suddenly, the dinosaur backed up and began to growl at him. "Grrr... Smells like badness... I don't like him! He with others!"

"Yoshi, wait!" Luigi said. "This is my buddy Mush. Sure, he kinda looks like those guys over there, but that doesn't mean he's a bad guy, y'know? Besides, he's one of my fans! That must make him good, right?"

Yoshi obviously didn't agree with that, but other than a suspicious glare, he made no other objections. Now that he had everything sorted out, Luigi thought about their next course of action. He really didn't want to stay out in the open like this. Those guys could jump at them at any second. _Maybe one of the Toads will let me hide with them... No! Luigi, focus! _He didn't really have any leads on what to do, but the castle was a good place to start he supposed.

He and Yoshi set off for the castle, mostly sticking to alleyways to avoid the occupiers. Neither of them wanted to chance being out in the open for very long. Occasionally, Luigi would glance over his shoulder, confirming that Mush was indeed still following them. He turned forward with a steely gaze. Peach's castle was just ahead. He may not be Mario, but that didn't mean couldn't be brave!

* * *

"What was I talking about? A Goomba is braver than I am!"

When they had approached the castle, they found that it was guarded by a pair of purple rams, Towtows Yoshi had begun calling them. Unlike the other creatures who had taken over Toad Town, these ones lashed out as soon as they got near, destroying what little confidence Luigi had mustered. And Luigi, well...

"Sniff... I think we should just go home..." He never took to dangerous situations very well. They were hiding behind a tree, not to far from Peach's castle. Luigi was currently curled up in a ball, his faced buried in his knees. Was... Was he _crying_?

Yoshi hovered over the trembling plumber with a mixture of worry and exasperation. He had to find someway to cheer him up, otherwise their adventure's going to be pretty short lived. He nudged him with his nose. "We don't need to fight them. We just need to find a way in! The castle people could need our help!"

Luigi peeked at Yoshi from behind his knees. "Even if we do get by them, that won't change the fact that there's probably more inside the castle. I'm not Mario. I can't do this," he said, pulling his hat down over his eyes.

Yoshi snorted angrily. "Of course you're not Mario! You're Luigi! And just because Luigi's not Mario doesn't mean Luigi can't do good things!"

There was a pregnant pause. Slowly, Luigi lifted his hat back up, peering at Yoshi as he did. "You... You think I can do this?"

"Yosh! Yoshi was with Luigi ever since he was a tiny hatchling. Yoshi knows Luigi can do it."

"I never really hatched from anything, but... Thanks Yoshi. I'm.. I'm going to try!" The plumber finally got back to his feet. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to get in the castle yet however. Perhaps they could try to swim across the moat? No, there were some pretty nasty Nibbles swimming around in there. He'd never forget the time when he...

"Luigi! There's someone coming down the path," Yoshi's voice saved him from recalling the embarrassing memory.

Luigi could make out several people traveling down the path. A few koopas were being escorted to the castle by some Primids. As they got closer, he noticed that the koopas hands were tied. Were they prisoners? He assumed so, for they walked right by the Towtows without any issues. This gave Luigi an idea. He looked around and spotted Mush standing quietly some distance away.

"Hey, Mush?" he called to the Primid. "You think you can help us with something?" He hoped this would work...

Surprisingly, Mush seemed to understand the plan. He lumbered ahead to Peach's castle, with Luigi and Yoshi behind him. To make the scene more convincing, Luigi loosely tied vines around his and Yoshi's hands. If it didn't go well, at least they could fight back then.

As they walked past the Towtows, they began to sniff over them. Luigi held his breath as they did, praying they didn't remember them from earlier. One of the Towtows let out a snort, nearly blowing Luigi's cap off, and turned away from him. The other seemed to narrow its eyes, and for a moment Luigi was sure they had been caught. It gave out grunt and turned away as well. With their backs now turned, Luigi nearly ran for the door, with Yoshi right behind him and Mush following with his usual slow gait. He tore off the vines and quickly entered the castle, shutting the door as soon as the others got in.

"I...huff...can't believe that actually worked," Luigi said, breathing heavily.

Yoshi didn't answer, instead walking forward the center of the main lobby. Normally, the atmosphere of Peach's castle was extremely inviting and warm, with its walls painted sky blue with fluffy white clouds, its checkerboard tiles, and a large blue rug depicting a sun decorating the center of the room. Now, the room seemed darker, with a thick, oppressive, purple fog floating in the air.

Luigi never though he'd feel so afraid in Peach's castle. He tried to gather up his courage. There's no backing out now. Luckily, it seemed that they were the only ones in the lobby at the moment. No sign of what happened to the prisoners, though Luigi had a feeling he didn't want to know.

"Luigi... Where should we go first?" Yoshi asked, his voice lowered to a whisper. It seemed that he didn't like the purple mist either.

"We should probably check out some of the rooms... Hopefully we won't run into any bad guys," Luigi said. He looked around and noticed something odd. All of the doors in the main lobby were brown, all except one. One door was colored light purple and had a different design from the others. He approached it, Yoshi and Mush right behind him. "I think this is were we need to go," He glanced at Yoshi who nodded encouragingly. He took a deep breath. "All right... Here we go..!"

He opened the door.

* * *

**Hoo, boy. Bout time I finally updated this. These past few weeks have been pretty hectic and now that Summer has come my work output has fallen to about 0%. I'm just too busy doing nothing, that's all. I apologize in advance if there are a lot of errors in this one. I kind of rushed to upload this since it had been so long.**

_**"Peach's castle was just ahead." **_**Drawing a bit of a connection to chapter 2, with Mario heading toward Bowser's castle. Mario just barges in while Luigi tries a more sneakier approach (after breaking down anyway).**

**"**_**No, there were some pretty nasty Nibbles swimming around in there. He'd never forget the time when he..." **_**Nibbles are basically chain chomps in fish form. What exactly happened between Luigi and the Nibbles? We may never know.**


	6. Homes Lost and Friends Gained

A hooded figure stood atop one of the Infinite Glacier's many peaks. The bitterly cold winds didn't seem to affect him at all. He cast his glowing yellow eyes, the only features of his face that were visible, across the snowy landscape. He'd occasionally see Primids wandering about on land and flocks of Auroros soaring through the skies. It was amazing what progress had been made since his first meeting with the Destroyer several months ago.

Still, this place was surprisingly barren, more so than he expected. Most villages were small and very spread out. It made them very hard to find, but at the same time they were very easy to take control of. It was a welcome reprieve from the chaotic mess the Popstar and Mushroom Kingdom sieges were. Many resources were currently being taken up keeping those planets in check. He had suspected a scarcely populated planet like this one would make for an ideal target while new troops were being made.

He noticed a few seals hovering around a frozen beach. They seemed to be gazing at the sky curiously, as if wondering where their sun had gone. Popstar, the Mushroom Kingdom, and even this planet... They were so full of life, something he was still getting used to. He thought back to his home, his_ dead, corrupted_ home.

_Why? _He thought. _Why would _he_ allow our world to stagnate, to be corrupted to the point of being incapable of sustaining life... But not these ones? _Without realizing it, he began to shake. _I had assumed he had turned his back on everyone, yet what I have seen is undeniable. He abandoned _only_ us... Why?!_

"Ancient Minister, sir," a voice snapped him out of his thoughts. A R.O.B. had approached him without his notice. How unlike him. "The bomb has been set up in the location you specified."

"Good," he said, regaining his composure. The fact that he even lost it in the first place disturbed him greatly. He had much thinking to do later... "Set it off now."

The robot seemed to hesitate at this. "But, sir, the army has not subdued the locals yet. The... 'Master' stressed not to have a repeat of what happened on planet Popstar..."

The Ancient Minister shook his head. "It does not matter. The locals here are too few in number to pose much of a threat, nor do they have the resources to fight off our army. Set off the bomb," he repeated.

The R.O.B. nodded and closed his eyes. "As you wish, sir," he said. He turned and began to make his way down the peak. Before he got too far, the Ancient Minister called out to him.

"Please tell me... Who is operating this bomb?"

"466 is and... I am sir," he said. After he spoke those words, the conversation ended. A heavy silence filled the air like a fog, uncertain, but also foreboding. The R.O.B. lingered for a moment, expecting his leader to say something. He didn't. He gave him one last look before continuing down the mountain to his fate. Only after he was long gone did the Ancient Minister speak again.

"Please forgive me... It won't be much longer now..."

* * *

The ride down the mountain was far from pleasant, Mario had found. Despite having three passengers, the Condor flew surprisingly fast. Not only did he have to face the full brunt of the freezing winds, his hat ended up blowing off of his head at some point. Upon realizing it was missing, a small feeling of loss filled him. Sure, he may of had 31 others exactly like it, but that one was special. Luigi had given it to him on his birthday, before things began to sour between them. To him, it was a reminder of the good times.

"Hey, it's all right, buddy," Nana had said, trying to comfort him. "If we meet someone, I'll introduce you!" Apparently she thought he only used that hat as a way to say his name. Needless to say, Mario didn't feel much better.

Before Mario could dwell on it any longer, he noticed some brown structures sticking out of the snow. A village, he assumed. He was still a distance away and the snow obscured some of his vision, but judging from its size, he figured it held about 100 people.

As they got closer, Mario found he was completely wrong. Not a single soul could be seen wandering the stone streets, and the wooden houses were in need of desperate repair. Planks had fallen from them and the roofs held enormous gaps. The interiors were probably filled with snow. Did the Subspace Army already attack? No, it was clear that the houses were falling apart from disuse. There were no signs of an attack anywhere. No footprints, nothing.

He was so busy taking in the village's sorry state he barely noticed that they had landed.

"Well, home sweet home... I suppose," Popo said, jumping off the condor. The others quickly followed suit.

"Believe it or not, Mario, this place used to be pretty lively three years ago," Nana said to him. Needless to say, Mario was shocked. Did they really live like this?

The sound of enormous feet crunching against snow brought everyone's attention back to the Condor. It had turned away from the trio and was prepared to set off for the glacier again.

"Wait!" Popo called out to him. The bird angled his head slightly toward the boy. "Before you go, I just wanted to thank you for helping us out back there. And, I'm not sure if you remember this, but you also saved my father many years ago when he collapsed on a mountain. He always wanted to find you again and thank you in person, but he never got the chance. So, on behalf of that, thank you," he finished, bowing slightly.

The Condor let out a soft coo and gently nudged Popo with its beak. The boy gave the Condor a small hug before backing away, allowing the bird to finally take off toward the mountains. He watched the bird until it was nothing more than an orange speck on the sky before facing Mario.

"My house is over this way. We can warm up there."

"Don't worry! His house isn't falling apart like the rest," Nana chimed in.

Mario nodded in agreement. He was tired, and above all else, _cold._ Plus, it would be a good place for some discussions. After seeing this village, he had a lot of questions for these two, and he was sure they had some for him as well.

It didn't take too long for Mario to warm up, next to a fire and underneath a large blanket (Apparently it was made from polar bear fur). Popo's house was in much better condition than the others, though it was rather small. The house was divided by a wall that reached halfway into the room. On the right side lay two beds and a dresser. The side were he was sitting functioned as a kitchen. A table with (conveniently) three chairs, a chest, and a small fireplace with a black pot were the only furnishings.

Nana was currently tending to the fire. Apparently they got by by ripping planks off other houses and using them as firewood. She hummed as she poked the fire, but she would throw an occasional, almost anxious, glance out the window at times. When Popo finally asked her about it, she only mumbled "Just a bad feeling.." before putting some chocolate in the pot and devoting her attention to that.

"A traveling merchant came by a few months ago," Popo said in an attempt to change the topic. "He must have felt bad for us, being all alone out here and all, so he gave us that chocolate," he seemed somewhat dejected as he said that.

"Hey, a gift's a gift after all. I wasn't complaining,"

"Well, I still didn't feel good taking it. Chocolate's pretty rare after all... What if he got in trouble for it?"

"I don't think he would have given us it if he knew he'd get in trouble."

"What if he didn't know?"

"Then he's a crappy merchant."

"Nana! You shouldn't say that about him. He was nice enough give us some gifts after all."

"What! You were just complaining about not wanting handouts!"

"No I wasn't! I was just saying that..."

They went back and forth with their argument for a while. Mario just watched the amusing scene in front of him unfold, a bit of at a loss for words. It took the two a moment to remember they had company.

"Umm...H-here. I think the chocolate's ready," Nana said, digging around in the chest. In a few moments she had three steaming cups of hot chocolate set at the table. "Now, Mario," she said, taking a seat herself. "I've never seen those Primid guys around here before, and you said, well gestured really, that you were chasing them, but I think you weren't giving me the full story,"

Popo glanced at the two. "We don't really see many people out here. Whatever you're doing, it must be really important to have to come all the way out here," he paused to think for a moment. "It probably has something to do with those Primid guys, right? Do you know about them?"

Mario took a sip from his mug, trying to ignore Popo's curious gaze and Nana's scrutinizing one. He knew that he needed to tell them about the whole Subspace thing, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. Explaining was never really his forte. _Where to begin... Where to begin... _Well, the beginning worked, he supposed.

* * *

By the end of his tale (Mario found it hard to believe it had only been a half a day since his adventure began), he was met with the lovely sound of shocked silence. The two climbers stared at him, unsure of how to respond to such a story.

Once she managed to find her voice, Nana said in awe, "Are you serious?"

"This is incredible..." Popo agreed.

Mario lifted an eyebrow at the response. They were taking the news rather calmly. He had expected a completely different reaction, denial or fear, or just flat out not believing a single word. In any case, it made everything a lot easi-

"You can _talk!_" the two kids exclaimed.

Mario slammed his face against the table as hard as he could. Oh, he should have known...

"Really, though," Nana said more seriously, "You can't expect us to believe a story like that do you? We're being invaded by aliens? Universe is in danger? That's the craziest-"

His face still against the table, Mario let out a muffled sigh. He was fully expecting this kind of-

"I believe you."

"-thing I've ever... Wait, what?" Nana said, staring at her partner in shock. Mario also lifted his head up in surprise.

" Yeah, it is a lot to take in, but you are telling the truth, aren't you? I can hear it in the way you talked about your home and your friends. This is important to you because it could ensure their safety and the safety of countless others. You've even come out to the coldest reaches of our home to do so. That kind of resolve is something you can't fake, so I believe you. In fact... It wouldn't be to much trouble... If we came with you, would it? This involves us too. And I would like to pay you back for helping us out earlier."

Mario was a bit taken back by the sentiment. He recalled Master Hand's words of needing more allies, and he personally didn't want to leave the two behind, but they were still just children. He didn't know what awaited him in this war. And wasn't Nana disagreeing with his story a few moments ago? He glanced over to the girl, who had been oddly quiet.

Popo followed his gaze."Oh, Nana?" he said. "You don't have to worry about her. After all, you believed him from the very beginning, didn't you Nana?" he finished, smiling.

"...Of course I did!" she said, after a noticeable moment of hesitation. "If I had agreed from the start though, well, where's the fun in that? Where's the suspense? The intrigue?" Popo regarded her carefully as she said this, but didn't comment.

Mario tilted his head slightly. He couldn't tell if she was telling the truth, or if she was just going along with it.

She noticed his doubtful stare and quickly said, "Hey! If I can believe your insa- I mean _interesting_ story, you can believe me, right?"

With a sigh, Mario nodded his head. Regardless, he was happy to take them along, if not a little apprehensive to have them fight with him.

"All right! We'll do our best to help you Mario!" Popo cheered.

"Well, I guess this works out..." Nana said, folding her arms. "We did finish what we wanted to do here anyway,"

There was a good opportunity to bring it up. Mario finally asked them why they were all alone out here. His question seemed to catch them off guard as they both jumped a bit.

The blue clad climber struggled to find his voice. "Well we... Hmm.." he trailed off, lost in thought. Mario had a feeling that he had brought up a tender topic.

Nana hopped off her chair, drawing everyone's attention to her. "I'm sure you've warmed up by now," she said to Mario. "Why don't we show you around? It'll probably be easier to explain then."

* * *

It was rather sombering, walking through the streets of a dead village. Very few houses remained in good condition, let alone any condition for someone to be living in. The streets were half covered by snow, a few grey stones barely poking out from the white. When he thought about it, it was odd that the streets were visible at all. Did they actually take of them? He glanced at the two in question.

They had brought their hammers with in case of an attack, but the precaution was probably unneeded, as it was empty for miles around them. The emptiness was only multiplied by the silence the had fallen over the party and the darkness cast by the dreary skies. It was clear that this wasn't just some simple tour around town, though. The two wanted to show him something in particular. It wasn't long before they reached what it was.

Dozens of large stones organized neatly in rows lay before them. It didn't take long for Mario to realize they were graves.

Popo finally spoke up. "Three years ago, a really bad sickness spread throughout the village. A lot of people fell ill."

"To make matters worse," Nana cut in, "Since so many people were sick, hardly anyone was going to the mountains to get food. As you can imagine, people began to..." she motioned to the graves.

Popo approached a particular gravestone and gazed at it. "...Yeah," he said, somewhat distantly. "Anyways, after Spring came, the two of us started heading up to the mountains ourselves. It surprised a lot of people that we actually wanted to go, but it surprised them even more when we came back alive, and even with food!"

"Yup!" There was an obvious note of pride in her voice "It was almost unheard of. Two ten year olds actually making it through the mountains? Still, it wasn't easy back then... We were pretty lucky to have found a place were vegetables grew near the middle of the mountain."

"The damage had already been done though. The sickness was taken as a sign that this place was cursed or something. Everyone started to leave. By the end of Spring, we were the only ones left."

"That's pretty much all there is to it," Nana putting an end to the topic.

There was definitely more to it than what they were telling him, but Mario decided not to push the subject any further. They obviously didn't want to talk about it. Before another silence could settle in, several rays of light caught the group's attention.

Nana was the first to speak. "Hey... Would you look at that? The sun's shining again!" It was true. The sun could be seen sinking between two mountains, and the red clouds had noticeably thinned out in some places.

While he had been here, all Mario had known was the bloody skies and the oppressive darkness it cast on the land. Now, seeing the red give way to rich yellows and deep blues, and watching the sun's light glitter across the snow and ice like diamonds, he was reminded of the many winter lands he had traveled through back home, filling him with almost a nostalgic feeling. _This place is beautiful..._

"Wow... It's strange how much you can take something like a sunset for granted," Popo said. The sun's reappearance had cheered him back up to his normal self. "Those clouds are going away too. Does that mean everything's all clear?" he asked Mario.

While he couldn't be sure, it certainly was a hopeful sign. Perhaps the army pulled out? He didn't mean to be rude, but he couldn't imagine that a small icy planet like this would be crucial to capture. Maybe that meant that they wouldn't have to worry about any Subspace bombs.

"Yeah, it'd be nice if we didn't have to deal with those pesky... Wait, hold on. Did you just say bombs?" Oh. Did he forget to mention them earlier?

"W-well what the heck are we doing here then?" Nana said, trying hard not to panic. "Shouldn't we be, y'know, doing something about them?"

"Calm down, Nana!" Popo stepped in. "I'm sure Mario has a plan for dealing with this. I mean, you and that 'Master Hand' guy must have thought about this, right? It'd be pretty silly to just rush into something like this without thinking things through," he said, looking to Mario for confirmation.

The plumber glanced between the two children, unsure of how to put this. Master Hand did kind of throw him into this without much of a plan, and being the go-getter he is, he went with it. In hindsight, maybe they should have thought about this more. In the end, he didn't really need a response; his silence said it all.

"...Oh," Popo's shoulders sagged a bit. "That... Doesn't matter. We can try to- woah!" he yelped as the earth suddenly began to tremor violently beneath them, throwing everyone off balance.

Popo struggled to stand upright. "D-don't tell me this is...!" A violent wind tore through the air, drowning out his words.

Mario instinctively grabbed on to a nearby grave to avoid being swept away. Popo grabbed the closest thing to him, which happened to be Mario's leg, while Nana latched on to Popo's arm.

Out of habit, Mario put a hand on his head to prevent his hat from flying off, only to remember he had already lost it. He scowled. That wasn't important right now.

_This wind... _No, it wasn't a normal wind. _Something's sucking us in..._ Mario thought. He looked in the direction the air flowing. Sure enough, he could see a purple mass growing over the horizon. There wasn't any other choice it seemed. He dug around in his pocket with his free hand, looking for the remote Master Hand had gave him.

* * *

Master Hand had been keeping an (metaphorical) eye on Mario ever since he left. Having a supercomputer that could display any place in the universe was one of the few perks of being confined to this planet. Seeing as Mario and his new friends were about to return, he waited patiently in front of the teleporter, ready to welcome them in his usual polite and sophisticated manner. That didn't stop him from letting out a chuckle or two when the three were launched from the teleporter and landed in an unceremonious pile on the ground.

"Please warn us the next time you try to pull something like that..." Nana groaned rubbing her head. In response, Mario simply gave her an apologetic smile.

"Welcome back, Mario!" Master Hand decided to make himself known. "I see you've also succeeded in bringing back some allies, though they are a tad small..."

Normally such a statement would have elicited a defensive response from Nana, but she, as well as Popo, were left dumbstruck by the fact that a giant glove was now talking to them. Master Hand didn't quite understand why he'd receive such a reaction.

"Oh? Why do you look so surprised? My friend Mario here mentioned me, didn't he?"

His question managed snap the two out of their daze. "Um.. He did, but..." Popo began.

"But he never said you were an _actual_ hand," Nana finished.

"Well, my name is Master _Hand..._ I would assume it would be rather obvious. No offense of course." He could tell that they were pretty overwhelmed at the moment, especially with all the strange machines buzzing around them. He floated over to a pair of metallic doors. "Why don't I show you the rest of my mansion? The teleporter is out of energy for today, and thanks to this blasted generator problem I've been having, it would be recharged until tomorrow."

His talk about his mansion garnered everyone's attention, particularly Mario's. He wasn't aware that Master Hand had a mansion.

"You didn't think I'd live in this dank old lab, did you?" He opened the doors and made a large sweeping motion. "After you!"

* * *

It was as if they had stepped into a different world. _Though... I suppose that's not too far from the truth,_ Popo thought to himself.

Master Hand's mansion was certainly a sight to behold. The doors opened up to golden walls lined with brown and red trimmings. Dozens of off white columns lined the dim hallway. The only source of light was coming from the setting sun, shining weakly through the arched windows. The cream colored, marble floor was polished to the point that he could see his own reflection. Popo winced as he realized that he and Nana were probably scratching it up with their shoes. Hopefully Master Hand wouldn't notice.

The hand was currently rambling on about the lighting issue. Apparently some 'generator' had malfunctioned, whatever that meant. Popo was too busy taking in the regal surroundings to listen, and a quick glance at Mario and Nana proved that they were doing the same, though Mario seemed a little disinterested. He was dragging his feet and looked as if he was having a battle to keep his eyes open. _Well, it has been a pretty long day. _He was feeling pretty tired himself, now that he thought about it.

"..And I should be able to get some power running to the rest of the mansion while still having enough to recharge the teleporter," They reached the end of the hallway, stopping before a large brown door with intricate designs carved into it. With a wave of his... Well... _hand,_ the door opened up into a large lobby.

The size of the room astounded Popo. The room alone could fit at least ten of his houses, if not more. The floor took on a checkered pattern, alternating between white and beige, and even in the dim lighting, he could make out a red carpet leading from the main entrance and up a grand staircase.

"This place is unlike anything I've ever seen... Did you build this?" Nana asked.

The glove let out a laugh. "Of course I did! You could say it was... Built by my own hand! Hahaha!"

"That was terri-"

"Though it helps that I also have a lot of time on my ha-"

"Stop."

"...Moving on," Master Hand continued, undeterred his joke's reception "I'm sure you are all very exhausted from today's events. To your right is the dining room," he motioned over to a door on the lower level. "Head straight through there and you'll find the kitchen and pantry, filled to the brim with all kinds of food. You can help yourself to whatever you want; no need to be shy! Upstairs you'll find all of the bedrooms, so when-" A loud snore interrupted his speech.

The offender was none other Mario. He was swaying slightly, a bit drool at the corner of his mouth, and had somehow found a way to fall asleep while standing completely upright.

"I'd like to think my tours aren't that boring..." Master Hand actually sounded a little hurt when he said that. "Well, it had been a long day for you all, Mario especially. Could you two do me a favor and take him upstairs while I fix the electricity? This lighting problem is really getting on my nerves," without another word, Master hand floated back to his lab, leaving the two children with quite the challenge to overcome.

"So... How the hell are we going this guy up there?" Nana nudged the snoozing plumber. "He's out cold."

The lights flickered several times and a muffled 'Blast it!' could be heard echoing down the hallway.

"I don't know. I guess we could just sort of... drag him up the stairs."

The mansion's foundation rumbled slightly and the lights flickered once again before finally staying on. The small tremor was enough to shake Mario's balance. He fell to the floor, still sleeping like a 'stached baby.

Nana shrugged. "Works for me."

* * *

**Mario has trekked through the Mushroom Kingdom into the volcanic Darklands, fought Bowser and some Primids, climbed an icy mountain, fought even **_**more**_** Primids, all in the span of one day. I think he's earned a nap.**

**That said, this chapter was pretty painful. I had it finished over a week ago, but I really didn't like how it turned out, so I ended up rewriting over half of it. So that might explain why it took so long for me to get this out. **

**... I should just call this the Excuse Corner, cause that's all I ever talk about down here.**

**As I was working on this chapter, I went back re-edited all of the past chapters. Nothing worth going back to re-read; I just fixed the formatting so it's easier to read.  
**

**I've also decided to occasionally write out Mario's thoughts every now and then. That was my original intention but... Well, I forgot. Whoopsie. **

**Still, I feel kind of bad about the wait, so if you're still reading this unusually long Author's Note, then I'll give you a hint about where the next chapter's gonna take place: There's a lot of clouds!**

**See ya later.**


End file.
